Autodesk 3ds Max 8 User guide

AUTODESK

®

3DS MAX

®

8

Reference Guide

Volume I

Date:

09.09.05

Autodesk Part No.:

12811-050000-5000A

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toc

Introduction.............................................. xiii

Welcome ................................................................... xiii

What’s New in 3ds Max 8 ......................................... xiv

3ds Max Documentation Set.................................. xviii

About MAX Script ..................................................... xx

1 Getting Started with 3ds Max ..................... 1

Getting Started with 3ds Max ..................................... 1

Project Workflow...... ................................................... 1

Sett ing Up Your Scene ......................... ........................ 4

Modeling Objects ................................ ........................ 5

Using Materials...... ........................................... ........... 6

Placing Lights and Cameras........................................ 7

Animating Your Scene................................................. 8

Rendering Your Scene ............................................. .... 9

The 3ds Max Window ............................................. .... 9

Special Controls....................................................... .. 12

Managing Files .......................................................... 15

Importing, Merging, Replacing, and Externally

Referencing Scenes ............................................... .. 16

Using the Asset Browser ............ ................................ 17

Startup Files and Defaults ......................................... 17

3dsmax.ini File .......................................................... 18

Backing Up and Archiving Scenes .. .......................... 19

Crash Recovery System ............................................. 19

2 V iewing and Navigating 3D Space ........... 21

Viewing and Navigating 3D Space............................ 21

General Viewport Concepts...................................... 22

H ome Grid: Views Based on the World

Coordinate Axes ..................................................... 23

Understanding Views.............................................. .. 24

Setting Viewport Layout ........................................... 26

Controlling Viewport Rendering........... ................... 27

Controlling Display Performance ............................. 28

Using Standard View Navigation .............................. 29

Zooming, Panning, and Rotating Views................... 29

Using Walkthrough Navigation ................................ 30

Navigating Camera and Light Views......................... 33

Adaptive Degradation Toggle ................................... 34

Grab Viewport........................................................... 35

V iew-Handling Commands .................................... 35

View-Handling Commands...................................... 35

Undo View Change / Redo View Change ................. 36

Save Active View............................... ......................... 37

Restore Active View................................................... 37

Viewport Background............................................... 38

Viewport Background Dialog ................................... 38

Select Background Image D ialog .............................. 42

Update Background Image ....................................... 44

Reset Background Transform ................................... 45

Show Transform Gizmo ............................................ 45

Show Ghosting .......................................................... 46

Show Key Times ........................................................ 46

Shade Selected ........................................................... 47

Show Dependencies .................................................. 47

Create Camera From View........................................ 48

Add Default Lights to Scene...................................... 49

Add Default Lights To Scene Dialog ......................... 49

Redraw All Views....................................................... 50

Activate All Maps ...................................................... 50

Deactivate All Maps ............................................. ..... 51

Update During Spinner Drag.................................... 51

Expert Mode.............................................................. 51

Controlling Object Display .................................... 51

Controlling Object Display ....................................... 51

Display Color Rollout ............................................... 52

Hide By Category Rollout ............................. ............ 52

Contents

iv Contents

Hide Rollout .............................................................. 53

Freeze Rollout........... ................................................. 54

Display Properties Rollout ............................... ......... 55

Link Display Rollout.................................................. 58

Object Display Culling Utility................................... 59

3 Selecting Objects ............. .......................... 61

Selecting Objects ....................................................... 61

Introducing Object Selection .................................... 61

Basics of Selecting Objects ........ ................................ 64

Selecting by Region ................................................... 65

Using Select By Name................................................ 67

Using Named Selection Sets...................................... 67

Using Selection Filters......................... .................... .. 68

Selecting with Track View ......................................... 69

Selecting with Schematic View.................................. 69

Freezing and Unfreezing Objects .............................. 70

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection .............. 71

Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Categor y .............. 72

Isolate Selection........ .................... ............................. 73

Introduction to Sub-Object Select ion....................... 74

Selection Commands ............................................. 76

Selection Commands ................................................ 76

Select Object ............................................................. 77

Select By Name Button ............................................. 77

Select Objects Dialog................................................. 78

Selection Floater........................................................ 79

Selection Region Flyout............................................. 80

Rectangular Select ion Region .................................. 80

Circular Selection Region ......................................... 81

Fence Selection Region ......... .................................... 81

Lasso Selec tion Region ............................................. 82

Paint Selection Region .............................................. 82

Selection Filter List........................................... ......... 83

Filter Combinations Dialog....................................... 83

Named Selection Sets ................................................ 85

Select All ................................ .................................... 86

Select None................................................................ 86

Select Invert............................................................. .. 86

Select By..................................................................... 86

Select By Color .......................................................... 86

Select By Name (Edit Menu)..................................... 87

Region ....................................................................... 87

Select Region Window .............................................. 87

Select Region Crossing ............................................. 88

Window/Crossing Selection Toggle ......................... 88

Named Selection Sets Dialog ................................... 89

Edit Named Selections Dialog................................... 91

Edit Commands ....................................................... 92

Edit Commands ........................................................ 92

Undo/Redo .......................................................... ..... 93

Undo ......................................................................... 93

Redo .......................................................................... 94

Hold........................................................................... 94

Fetch ..................................................................... ..... 95

Delete....................................................... .................. 95

Assemblies and Groups.......................................... 95

Using Groups................................. .................... ........ 95

Using Assemblies....................................................... 97

Group Commands................................................. 101

Group Commands .................................................. 101

Group....................................................................... 102

Open Group ............................................................ 102

Close Group............................... .................... .......... 102

Ungroup ....................... .................... ....................... 103

Explode Group ..................................................... ... 103

Detach Group.......................................................... 103

Attach Group........................................................... 104

Assembly Commands ........................................... 104

Assembly Commands ............................................. 104

Assemble.................................................................. 104

Create Assembly Dia log .......................................... 106

Open Assembly ....................................................... 106

Close Assembly........................................................ 107

Disassemble. .................... .................... .................... 107

Explode Assembly ................................................... 107

Detach Assembly..................................................... 108

Attach Assembly......................................... ............. 108

Assembly Head Helper Objects........................... 108

Assembly Head Helper Object .......................... ...... 108

Luminaire Helper Object ........................................ 108

4 Object Properties......................... ............ 111

Object Properties.............................. ....................... 111

Object Properties Dialog ..................................... 111

Object Properties Dialog......................................... 111

Object Properties Dialog Panels ......................... 112

General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) .............. 112

Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties

Dialog) .................................................................. 118

mental ray Panel (Object Properties Dialog).......... 121

User Defined Panel (Object Properties Dialog)...... 122

Rename Objects Tool .............................................. 123

Custom Attributes ................................................... 124

Parameter Collector ............................................. 133

Parameter Collector ................................................ 133

Parameter Collec tor Menu Bar ............................... 137

Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector) ....................... 140

Contents v

Expression Techniques ......................................... 141

Expression Techniques............................................ 141

Trigonometric Functions ........................................ 145

Vectors ..................................................................... 146

5 Creating Geometry..................................149

Creating Geometry.................................................. 149

Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects.......... 149

Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects ............. 149

Using the Create Panel............................................. 150

Identifying the Basic Building Blocks ..................... 151

Creating an Object .................................................. 152

Assigning Color s to Objects................................. 154

Assigning Colors to Objects.................................... 154

Object Color Dialog ................................................ 155

Color Selector D ialog .............................................. 157

Color Clipboard Utility........................................... 159

Adjusting Normals and Smoothing .................... 160

Adjusting Normals and Smoothing ........................ 160

Viewing and Chang ing Normals............................. 161

Viewing and Chang ing Smoothing......................... 162

Creating Geometric Primitives............................ 163

Geometric Primitives .............................................. 163

Creating Primitives from the Keyboard.................. 164

Standard Primitives .............................................. 165

Standard Primitives................................................. 165

Box Primitive........................................................... 166

Cone Primitive ........................................................ 167

Sphere Primitive ...................................................... 169

GeoSphere Primitive ............................................... 171

Cylinder Primitive................................................... 172

Tube Primitive ................................. ........................ 174

Torus Primitive....................................... ................. 175

Pyramid Pr imitive................. .................................. 177

Teapot Primitive ...................................................... 178

Plane Primitive ........................................................ 180

Extended Primitives ............................................. 181

Extended Primitives ................................................ 181

Hedra Extended Primitive ...................................... 182

Torus Knot E xtended Primitive .............................. 184

ChamferBox Extended Primitive............................ 186

ChamferCyl Extended Primitive............................. 187

OilTank Extended Primit ive ................................... 189

Capsule Extended Primitive.................................... 190

Spindle Extended Primitive .................................... 191

L-Ext Extended Primitive.................... .................... 193

Gengon E x tended Primitive.................................... 194

C-Ext Extended Primitive....................................... 195

RingWave Extended Primitive ................................ 197

Prism Extended Primitive....................................... 200

Hose Extended Prim itive ........................................ 201

Creating Architectural Objects ............................ 205

AEC Ex tended Objects.......................................... 205

AEC Extended Objects............................................ 205

Working with AEC Design Elements................ ...... 205

Foliage................................................................ ...... 209

Railing ..................................................................... 212

Wall.............. .................... .................... .................... 218

Editing Wall Objects................................................ 223

Stairs...................................................................... 226

Stairs ........................................................................ 226

L-Type Stair ..... .................... .................... ................ 227

Spiral Stair ............................................................... 230

Straight Stair.............................. .............................. 234

U-Type Stair .................................................. .......... 238

Doors ..................................................................... 241

Doors....................................................................... 241

Pivot Door ............................................................... 246

Sliding Door ............................................................ 246

BiFold Door.......................................................... ... 247

Windows ................................................................ 248

Windows.................................................................. 248

Awning Window................................................ ...... 251

Casement Window.................................................. 252

Fixed Window ......................................................... 253

Pivoted Window........ .............................................. 254

Projected Window.................. ................................. 255

Sliding Window......... .............................................. 256

Creating Shapes.................................................... 257

Shapes ..................................................................... 257

Shape Check Utility................................................. 260

Splines................................................................... 261

Splines and Extended Splines..................... ............. 261

Line Spline............................................................... 265

Rectang le Spline ......................................... ............. 267

Circle Spline................................... .......................... 268

Ellipse Spline ........................................................... 269

Arc Spline ................................................................ 269

Donut Spline............................................................ 271

NGon Spline............................................................ 272

Star Spline. ............................................................... 272

Text Spline ............................................................... 273

Helix Spline ............................................................. 276

Section Spline .......................................................... 277

Extended Splines .................................................. 279

WRectangle Spline .................... .............................. 279

Channel Spline .................... .................................... 280

Angle Spline............................................................. 281

vi Contents

Tee Spline...................................... .................... ....... 282

Wide Flange Spline.................................................. 283

Editable Splines .................................................... 284

Editable Spline......................................................... 284

Editable Spline (Object) .......................................... 290

Editable Spline (Vertex) ......................................... 292

Editable Spline (Segment) ..................... ................. 298

Editable Spline (Spline) .......................................... 303

Creating Compound Objects............................... 308

Compound Objects ................................................. 308

Morph Compound Object .................................. .... 309

Scatter Compound Object....................................... 313

Conform Compound Object. .................................. 319

Connect Compound Object.................................... 323

BlobMesh Compound Object ................................. 326

ShapeMerge Compound Object ............................. 331

Boolean Compound Object ................................. 333

Boolean Compound Objec t .................................... 333

Material Attach Options Dialog....................... ....... 340

Terrain Compound Object...................................... 342

Loft Compound Object......................................... 347

Loft Compound Object........................................... 347

Creation Method Rollout ........................................ 349

Surface Parameters Rollout..................................... 349

Path Parameters Rollout.......................................... 351

Skin Parameters Rollout............ .............................. 353

Deformations ........... ............................................... 358

Deform Scale ........................................................... 359

Deform Twist........................................................... 359

Deform Teeter.......................................................... 360

Deform Bevel....................................................... .... 361

Deform Fit ............................................................... 362

Deformation Dialog ................................................ 363

Path Commands.............. ........................................ 367

Shape Commands ................................................... 368

Compare Dialog .............. .................... .................... 369

Mesher Compound Object...................................... 369

Creating Dy namics Objects ................................. 372

Dynamics Objects ................................................... 372

Damper Dynamics Object .... .................................. 372

Spring Dynamics Object ......................................... 376

Creating Systems .................................................. 380

Systems .................................................................... 380

Bones System ........................................................ 381

Bones System........................................................... 381

Using Objects as B ones ........................................... 387

Bone Tools ............................................................... 388

Bone Tools Rollouts .............................................. 388

Bone Editing Tools Rollout ..................................... 388

Fin Adjustment Tools Rollout ................................. 390

Object Properties Rollout (Bone Tools).................. 391

Ring Array System................................................... 392

Sunlight and Daylight Systems ........................... 394

Sunlight and Daylight Systems................................ 394

Geographic Location Dia log............ ....................... 398

6 Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and

Scaling Objects ............................ ............401

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects ..... ............. 401

Axis Tripod and World Axis ................................... 403

Using Transforms.................................................. 403

Using Transforms .................................................... 403

Applying Transforms............................................... 404

Moving and Rotating Objects ................................. 405

Scaling Objects ........................................................ 406

Using Transform Gizmos .......... .............................. 408

Transform Type-In .................................................. 412

Animating Transforms ............................................ 414

Transform Managers ............................................... 414

Specifying a Reference Coordinate System............. 416

Choosing a Transform Center................................. 416

Using the Axis Constraints...................................... 418

Reset Transform Utility ....... .................................... 418

Transform Commands .......................................... 419

Transform Commands............................................ 419

Select and Move ...................................................... 419

Select and Rotate ................................................. ... 420

Select and Scale Flyout ............................................ 421

Select an d Uniform Scale ........................................ 421

Select an d Non-Uniform Scale ............................... 421

Select and Squash ................................................... 422

Transf orm Coordina tes a nd Coordinate

Center ................................................................. 423

Transform Coordinates and Coordinate Center..... 423

Reference Coordinate System ................................. 423

Use Center Flyout .................................................... 426

Use Pivot Point Center ............................ ................ 426

Use S election Center ............................................... 427

Use Transform Coordinate Center ......................... 427

Transform Constraints ......................................... 428

Transform Constraints............................................ 428

Restrict To X ........................................................... 428

Restrict To Y ........................................................... 429

Restrict To Z ........................................................... 429

Restrict To Plane Flyout .......................................... 430

Restrict To XY Plane ............................................... 430

Restrict To YZ Plane ............................................... 431

Restrict To ZX Plane .............. ................................. 431

Contents vii

Transform Tools.................................................... 432

Transform Tools ...................................................... 432

Array Flyout................................................... .......... 432

Mirror Selected Objects ................................... ....... 433

Mirror Dialog .......................................................... 433

Array ....................................................................... 435

Array Dialog ............................................................ 435

Snapshot ................................................................. 438

Snapshot D ialog ........................... ........................... 438

Spacing Tool ........................................................... 440

Clone and Align Tool .. ............................................ 444

Alig n Flyout............................................................. 446

Alig n ....................................................................... 447

Alig n Dialog ............................................................ 447

Quick Align .......................... .................................. 450

Normal Align .......................................................... 450

Normal Align Dialog............................................... 451

Place Highlight ....................................................... 452

Alig n Camera .......................................................... 453

Alig n to View .......................................................... 453

Alig n to View Dialog ............................................... 454

7 Creating Copies and Arrays .................... 455

Creating Copies and Arrays .................................... 455

Overview of Copies, Instances, and References...... 456

Cloning Objects .................................................... 458

Techniques for Cloning Objects.............................. 458

Clone ....................................................................... 461

Clone Options Dialog ............................................. 461

Using SHIFT+Clone ............................................... 463

Cloning with SHIFT+Move .................................... 463

Cloning with SHIFT+Rotate................................... 464

Cloning with SHIFT+Scale..................................... 465

Animating SHIFT+Rotate and SHIFT+Scale ........ 467

Cloning Objects Over Time with Snapshot ............ 468

Arraying Objects................................................... 468

Arraying Objects ........................................... .......... 468

Using the Array Dialog............................................ 470

Creating Linear Arrays............................................ 472

Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays........................ 474

Mirroring Objects ................................................... 475

Using the Spacing Tool............................................ 476

8 Modifier s ........................................ ..........479

Using Modifiers ....................................................... 479

Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow ....... 480

List of Available Modifiers....................................... 483

Basics of Using Modifiers..................................... 485

Using the Modify Panel........................................... 485

Using the Modifier Stack......................................... 487

Editing the Stack ..................................................... 489

Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects....................... 491

Modifying at the Sub-Object Level ......................... 492

Using the Stack at t he Sub-Object Level ................. 493

Modifying Multiple Objects.................................... 495

How Inst anced Modifiers Work.............................. 496

World-Space Modifiers ......................................... 498

World-Space Modifiers (WSMs)............................. 498

Camera Map Modifier (World Space) .................... 498

Displace Mesh Modifier (World Space).................. 499

Displace NURBS Modifier (World Space). ............. 501

Hair and Fur Modifier ( WSM) ............................... 502

Hair Overview ......................................................... 502

Hair and Fur Modifier............................................. 506

Style Dialog (Hair) .................................................. 524

LS Colors Modifier (World Space).......................... 531

MapScaler Modifier (World Space) ........................ 532

PatchDeform Modifier (World Space).................... 533

PathDeform Modifier (World Space) ..................... 533

Point Cache Modifier (World Space)...................... 536

Subdivide Modifier (World Space) ............ ............. 536

Surface Mapper Modifier (World Space)...... .......... 536

SurfDeform Modifier (World Space)...................... 537

Object-Space Modifiers........................................ 537

Object-Space Modifiers.......... ................................. 537

Affect Region Modifier............................ ................ 538

Attribute Holder Modifier....................................... 539

Bend Modifier ......................................................... 541

Bevel Modifier ........................ ................................. 542

Bevel Profile Modifier ............................................. 546

Camera Map Modifier (Object Space).................... 547

Cap Holes Modifier................................................. 550

Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers .................. 551

Cloth Introduction.................................................. 551

Cloth Overview ....................................................... 552

Cloth Modifier......................................................... 560

Object Properties Dialog (Cloth).. .......................... 581

Garment Maker Modifier........................................ 587

Troubleshooting and Error Codes in Garment

Maker..... .................... .................... .................... ... 601

CrossSection Modifier ............................... ............. 602

Delete Mesh Modifier.............................................. 605

Delete Patch Modifier........................................ ...... 606

Delete Spline Modifier............................................. 606

Disp Approx Modifier ............................................. 607

Displace Modifier....................................... ............. 608

Edit Mesh Modifier ............................. .................... 613

Edit Normals Modifier ............................................ 613

viii Contents

Edit Patch Modifier ................................................. 617

Edit Poly Modifier ................................................. 619

Edit Poly Modifier ................................................... 619

Edit Poly (Object).................................................... 630

Edit Poly (Vertex) .... .................... .................... ....... 633

Edit Poly (Edge) ...................................................... 642

Edit Poly (Border) ... ............................................... 651

Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) .................................. 658

Align Geometry Dialog........................................... 670

Detach Dialog.......................................................... 670

Edit Spline Modifier ................................................ 671

Extrude Modifier................... .................................. 671

Face Extrude Modifier............................................. 673

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers.............. 674

FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers . .............................. 677

FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Select Modifier..... 680

Fillet/Chamfer Modifier.......................................... 681

Flex Modifier ......................................................... 683

Flex Modifier ........................................................... 683

Spring Option Dialog.............................................. 692

HSDS Modifier ...................................................... 693

HSDS Modifier...... .................................................. 693

Adaptive Subdivision Dialog .................................. 698

Lathe Modifier......................................................... 699

Lattice Modifier....................................................... 701

Linked XForm Modifier......................... ................. 703

LS Mesh Modifier ..... ............................................... 704

MapScaler Modifier (Object Space)........................ 705

Material Modifier .. .................................................. 706

MaterialByElement Modifier .................................. 707

Melt Modifier........................................................... 709

Mesh Select Modifier............................................... 710

MeshSmooth Modifier ............................................ 714

Mirror Modifier....................................................... 720

Morpher Modifier ....... ........................................ .... 721

MultiRes Modifier ................................................... 731

Noise Modifier......................................................... 735

Normal Modifier ............................. ........................ 738

Normali ze Spline Modifier...................................... 739

NSurf Sel Modifier................................................... 740

Optimize Modifier .......................... ........................ 741

Patch Selec t Modifier............................................... 743

PatchDeform Modifier ............................................ 746

PathDeform Modifier.............................................. 748

Point Cache Modifier .............................................. 750

Poly Select Modifier ................................................ 752

Preserve Modifier .................................................... 757

Projection Modifier .............................................. 760

Projection Modifier................................................. 760

Select ion Rollout (Projection Modifier) .... ............. 762

Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection

Modifier)............................................................... 763

Cage Rollout (Projection Modifier)........................ 764

Selection Check Rollout (Projection Modifier) ...... 765

Projection Rollout (Projection Modifier) ............... 766

ProjectMappingRollout(ProjectionModifier).....767

Projection Holder Modifier..................................... 768

Push Modifier..... ..................................................... 769

Relax Modifier......................................................... 769

Renderable Spline Modifier .................................... 771

Ripple Modifier ....................................................... 773

Select By Channel Modifier..................................... 775

Shell Modifier ...................... .................... ................ 775

Skew Modifier.......................................................... 780

Sk in Modifier ........................................................ 781

Skin Modifier........................................................... 781

Load Envelopes Dialog (Skin Modifier) ................. 795

Weight Tool Dialog.................................................. 796

Weight Table (Skin Modifier).................................. 799

Painter Options Dialog............................................ 801

Skin Morph Modifier .............................................. 802

Skin Wrap Modifier................................................. 809

Skin Wrap Patch Modifier......... .................... .......... 815

Slice Modifier .......................................................... 815

Smooth Modifier.............................. ....................... 818

Spherify Modifier .................................................... 819

Spline IK Control Modifier ..................................... 820

Spline Select Modifier ............................................. 822

Squeeze Modifier..................................................... 823

STL Check Modifier ................................................ 825

Stretch Modifier ............................ .................... ...... 826

Subdivide Modifier ........................................... ...... 829

Substitute Modifier.................................................. 830

Surface Modifier...................................................... 833

SurfDeform Modifier .............................................. 838

Sweep Modifier ..................................................... 839

Sweep Modifier........................................................ 839

Pick Shape Dialog.................................................... 848

Extract Shape Dialog............................................... 849

Merge File (Sweep Modifier)................................... 849

Symmetry Modifier ................................................ 851

Taper Modifier.... .................... .................... ............. 853

Tessellate Modifier................................................... 854

Trim/Extend Modifier............................................. 856

TurboSmooth Modifier........................................... 857

Turn To Mesh Modifier ........................................... 860

Turn To Patch Modifier ........................................... 862

Turn To Poly Modifier............................................. 863

Contents ix

Twist Modifier ......................................................... 865

Unwrap UV W Modifier ......................................... 867

Unwrap UVW Modifier.......................................... 867

Edit UVWs Dialog .................................... .............. 878

Edit UVWs Dialog Menu Bar ............................. .... 884

UVW Editor Dialogs .............................................. 889

Flatten Mapping Dialog........................................... 889

Normal Mapping Dialog ........................ ................. 890

Pack UVs Dialog ..................................................... 891

Pelt Map Parameters Dialog.................................... 891

Relax Tool Dialog .................................................... 894

Render UVs Dialog ......... ........................................ 896

Sketch Tool Dialog........... ........................................ 899

Stitch Tool Dialog .................................................... 900

Unfold Mapping Dialog .......................................... 902

Unwrap Options Dialog.......................................... 902

UVW Map Modifier................................................ 905

UVW Mapping Add Modifier................................. 916

UVW Mapping Clear Modifier............................... 916

UVW Mapping Paste Modifier ............................... 916

UVW XForm Modifier............................................ 916

Ve rtex Weld Modifier ............................................. 917

VertexPaint Modifier ............................................ 918

Ve rtexPaint Modifier............. .................... .............. 918

VertexPaint Paintbox............................................... 924

Adjust Color Dialog (VertexPaint Modifier) ... ....... 932

Color Palette (VertexPaint Modifier)......... ............. 933

Volume Select Modifier........................................... 935

Wave Modifier ......................................................... 940

XForm Modifier ...................................................... 942

9 Surface Modeling ................................ ....945

Surface Modeling .................................................... 945

Subdivision Surfaces ............................................... 945

Soft Selection Rollout.............................................. 945

Collapse Utility........................................................ 948

Editable Patches ................................................... 950

Editable Patch Surface ............................................. 950

Editable Patch (Object) ........................................... 955

Editable Patch (Vertex) ........................................... 959

Editable Patch (Handle) ......................................... 965

Editable Patch (Edge) ............................................. 967

Editable Patch (Patch) ............................................ 971

Editable Patch (Element) ................................. ....... 977

Patch Grids............................................................ 980

Patch Grids .............................................................. 980

Quad Patch .............................................................. 981

Tri Patch..................................... .................... .......... 983

Meshes .................................................................. 984

Editable Mesh Surface..... ........................................ 984

Working with Mesh Sub-Objects............................ 988

Editable Mesh (Object) ........................................... 989

Editable Mesh (Vertex) ........................................... 992

Editable Mesh (Edge) ............................................. 997

Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/Element) ...............1001

Attach Options Dialog . ..........................................1009

Cut and Slice...........................................................1010

Polymeshes ......................................................... 1012

Editable Poly Surface..............................................1012

Editable Poly (Object) ...................... ......................1023

Editable Poly (Vertex) ...........................................1026

Editable Poly (Edge) ..............................................1035

Editable Poly (Border) ........................................... 1048

Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) ....... ...................1054

Paint Deformation Rollout.....................................1065

Editable Poly Settings Dial ogs .......................... 1068

Bevel Polygons Dialog ............................................1068

Bridge Borders/Polygons Dialog............................1068

Bridge Edges Dialog ...............................................1070

Chamfer Vertices/Edges/Borders Dia log ...............1071

Connect Edges Dialog................................... .........1072

Extrude Polygons Along Spline Dialog..................1072

Extrude Polygons Dialog........... .............................1073

Extrude Vertices/Edges Dialog ........... ...................1074

Hinge Polygons From Edge Dialog........................1075

Inset Polygons Dialog.............................................1075

MeshSmooth Selection Dialog...............................1076

Preserve Map Channels Dialog............... ...............1076

Relax Dialog ...........................................................1077

Tessellate Selection Dialog .....................................1078

Weld Vertices/Edges Dialog ...................................1078

NURBS ................................................................. 1079

Introduction to NURBS Modeling ........................1079

Working with NURBS Models ............................ 1080

NURBS Models: Objects a nd Sub-Objects....... .....1080

Creating NURBS Models .......................................1081

Working with NURBS Models...............................1081

Surface Trimming...................................................1082

Modifying NURBS Models and Creating

Sub-Objects .........................................................1083

Quad Menu for NURBS Objects............................1084

Using the NURBS T oolbox to Create

Sub-Objects .........................................................1085

Sub-Object Selection..............................................1086

CV Sub-Objects and Point Sub-Objects .... ............1086

Dependent Sub-Objects .........................................1088

Rig id Surfaces.........................................................1090

NURBS and Modifiers ...........................................1091

x Contents

NURBS and Animation .........................................1092

NURBS Concepts ...................................................1093

NU RBS Tips and Tech niques .............................. 1095

NURBS Tips and Techniques.................................1095

How to Make Objects with NURBS Modeling ......1095

How to Fix NURBS Objects ......... ..........................1099

How to Improve Performance................................1100

Animation, Textures, and Rendering.................. ...1101

NURBS Sur face Primitives .................................. 1102

NURBS Surfaces.... .................... .............................1102

Point Surface...........................................................1103

CV Surface..............................................................1105

NU RBS Curve Primitives..................................... 1107

NURBS Curves.......................................................1107

Point Curve.............................................................1108

CV Curve................................................................1112

Creating NURBS Cur ve and Sur face Objects .... 1116

Creat ing Independent Surfaces from NURBS

Curve Objects ......................................................1116

Creating NURBS Curves from Splines ..................1116

Creating NURBS Surfaces from Geometric

Primitives.............................................................1117

Nonrelational NURBS Surfaces .......... ...................1118

Display Controls for NURBS Models .................... 1119

Display Line Parameters for NURBS Surfaces.......1120

Creating and Editing NURBS Sub- Objects ........ 1121

Att aching and Importing 3ds Max Objects ...........1121

Common Sub-Object Controls........... ...................1123

Editing Point Sub-Objects.. ....................................1124

Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects........................ ......1128

Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects............................1132

Editing Curve Sub-Objects ....................................1136

Editing Surface Sub-Objects . .................................1142

Soft Selection Rollout (NURBS) ..... .......................1148

Material Properties Rollout....................................1150

Creating Curve Sub-Objects .............................. 1153

Creating Curve Sub-Objects ..................................1153

CV Curve Sub-Object ...........................................1154

Point Curve Sub-Object ........................... .............1157

Curve Fit ................................................................1158

Transform Curve ...................................................1159

Blend Curve ...........................................................1159

Offset Curve ..................................................... ......1161

Mirror Curve .........................................................1161

Chamfer Curve ......................... .............................1163

Fillet Curve ......................................................... ...1165

Surface-Surface Intersection Curve ............. .........1167

Surface Offset Curve ..............................................1169

U and V Iso Curves ..................... ..........................1170

Normal Projected Curve .......................................1171

Ve ctor Projected Curve .............................. ............1172

CV Curve on Surface .................................... .........1174

Point Curve on Surface ..........................................1176

Surface Edge Curve ...............................................1178

Creating Sur face Sub-Objects ........................... 1179

Creating Surface Sub-Objects ....... .........................1179

CV Surface Sub-Object .........................................1180

Point Surface Sub-Object ......................................1182

Transform Surface .................................................1183

Blend Surface .........................................................1184

Offset Surface .........................................................1187

Mirror Surface .......................................................1188

Extrude Surface .....................................................1190

Lathe Surface .........................................................1192

Ruled Surface .........................................................1194

Cap Surface ............................................................1196

U Loft Surface ........................... .............................1197

UV Loft Surface .............. .......................................1202

1-Rail Sweep Surface .......................... ...................1205

2-Rail Sweep Surface .......................... ...................1210

Multisided Blend Surface ......... .............................1215

Multicurve Trimmed Surface ....................... .........1216

Fillet Surface ..........................................................1218

Creating and Editing Point Sub- Objects ........... 1220

Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects.... ............1220

Point (NURBS) ............................................. .........1221

Offset Point ............................................. ...............1221

Curve Point ............................................................1222

Surface Point ....................... ...................................1223

Curve-Curve Intersection Point ............................1225

Surface-Curve Intersection Point ..........................1226

N URBS Editing Dialogs....................................... 1227

Convert Curve Dialog ............................................1227

Convert Curve on Surface Dialog ..........................1228

Convert Surface Dialog ........................... ...............1228

CV Cur ve: Close Curve Dialog..............................1230

Detach Dialog (NURBS)............................ ............1230

Edit Curve on Surface Dialog.................................1230

Edit Texture Surface Dialog................. ...................1232

Join Curves Dialog ....... ..........................................1233

Join Surfaces Dialog ...............................................1234

Make Loft Dialog..................................... ...............1235

Make Point Dialog..................................................1236

Make Point Curve Dialog .......................................1237

Point Curve: Close Curve Dialog..... ......................1237

Rebuild CV Curve Dialog ...... ................................1237

Rebuild CV Surface Dialog ....................................1237

Rebuild Texture Surface Dialog..............................1238

Contents xi

Reparameterize Dialog.... ....................... ................1238

Sub-Object Clone Options Dialog .........................1239

Select By Material ID Dialog ..................................1240

Cur ve and Sur face Approximation.................... 1240

Curve Approximation ............................................1240

Surface Approximation ..........................................1241

Advanced Surface Approximation Dialog .............1246

Sur face Approximation Utilit y .......................... 1247

Surface Approximation Util ity...............................1247

Surface Approximation Rollout .............................1247

Surface Display Rollout..........................................1253

Tools for Low-Polygon Modeling ...................... 1254

Tools for Low-Polygon Modeling...........................1254

Polygon Counter Utility ............ .............................1254

Polygon Counter Dialog.........................................1254

Level of Detail Utility .. ...........................................1255

Index ....... ............................ .................. .. 1259

xii Contents

intro

We lco m e

King Vega by Alessandro Baldasseroni

Wel com e to t h e

3ds Max User Reference

This

reference contains detailed information about all

the features and capabilities of Autodesk 3ds Max

®

,

whichbrings3Dmodelingandanimationtoyour

desktop system.

The reference is organized by functional areas.

The “User Interface” chapter gives you a guide to

program controls and where to find them.

If you’ve already used previous versions of

this program, you might want to start with a

description of

what’s new in this version (page

1–xiv)

.

If you’re new to this software, this would b e a good

place to start:

Getting Started with 3ds Max (page

1–1)

.

Here’s where you can get an overview of the entire

documentation set:

3ds Max Documentation Set

(page 1–xviii)

.

Yo u c a n f i n d a

guidetousingtheelectronicversion

of this reference (page 3–965)

.

And here’s a list of other important introductory

topics:

Managing Scenes and Projects (page 3–397)

Viewing and Navigating 3D Space (page 1–21)

Selecting Objects (page 1–61)

Introduction

xiv Introduction

Object Prop erties (page 1–111)

Creating Geometry (page 1–149)

Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects (page

1–401)

Creating Copies and Arrays (page 1–455)

Using Modifiers (page 1–479)

Surface Modeling (page 1–945)

Precision and Drawing Aids (page 2–1)

Space Warps and Particle Systems (page 2–51)

Creating Animation (page 2–271)

Lights and Cameras (page 2–1125)

Advanced Lighting Panel (page 3–43)

Material Editor, Materials, and Mapping (page

2–1239)

Rendering (page 3–1)

Effects and Environments (page 3–213)

User Interface (page 3–717)

Customizing the User Interface (page 3–829)

Default Keyboard Shortcuts (p age 3–911)

What ’s New in 3ds Max 8

Thenewfeaturesin3dsMaxaremeanttoimprove

thewayyouuseit,andtoimprovethequalityof

work it helps you create.

You c an also find a wealth of information about

new features in the printed New Features Guide

provided with your copy of 3ds Max. An electronic

version of this guide is available by choosing Help

menu > New Features Guide.

Note: This topic don’t comprehensively list all the

changesthathavebeenmadeto3dsMax.Asyou

proceed through the do cu mentation, keep an

eye out for the

icon, which designates a new

feature. You can also identify topics containing

information on new features in the program using

the index in this reference. For topics describing

new program features, check the index entry "new

featureinv8". Forchangesinexistingfeatures,

check the index entry "changed feature in v8".

Followingisalistofmajornewfeatureswithbrief

descriptions and links to the relevant reference

topic:

The 3 ds M ax Us er R eference

• Most of the documentation relating to network

rendering is now available in the Backburner

Reference, available from the Help menu > User

Reference > Contents panel.

• The mental ray documentation from mental

images, with specifics on shaders and related

topics, has been combined into a single

reference file, available from the 3ds Max Help

menu.

Character Animation

•The

Skin modifier (page 1–781)

provides

enhanced default settings; for example, vertices

are now assigned to a bone by default to prevent

unwanted st retching and m inimize the need

to edit envelopes. Also, the new

Wei g ht Tool

dialog (page 1–796)

makes it easier to assign

and blend weights.

•TrueEulerrotationandpositioncurvesarenow

available for biped animation. See

Work ing

with Euler Curves on Biped Animation (page

2–861)

.

• The biped pelvis can now be rotated on all three

axes, like a ba ll joint. See

Pelvis as Ball Joint

(page 2–750)

.

• Additional available neck, spine, ponytail, and

tail bones for the biped. See

Structure Rollout

(page 2–837)

.

What’s New in 3ds max 8 xv

•The

bone twist controls (page 2–839)

,

previously limited to the biped’s forearm, have

been expanded to include all limbs and a twist

bias setting has b een added. These new settings

allow better mesh deformation on skinned

models (using Physique or Skin) when twisting

occurs on animated limbs.

•Withexpandedsupportformotion-capture

data on fingers, toes and neck, finer motion

detail can be captured for hands and feet,

allowing for more subtle animation in a

notoriously difficult area of animation,

including bendable toes.

•Supportfornewmotioncaptureformats

including HTR Import and Export, support

for 3ds Max bones, and TRC data import.

TRC data, an excellent format for capturing

subtledetailssuchasfacialanimation,canalso

be converted via a utility to CSM, the biped

motion format.

• The new Map Animation dialog for loading

XML animation data includes

retargeting (page

3–486)

functionality for assigning animation

between very different ty p es of characters.

• Thebiped’sFigureModepostureisnow

independent from the biped’s animation.

Figure Mode spine, tail, and ponytails postures

arenolongeraddedasoffsetstothebipedkeys.

General Animation

•Thenew

Limit Cont roller (p age 2–319)

lets you

layeralimitontopofamotioncurvewiththe

ability to ease and out of the limit.

• Numerous Track View improvements,

including

Track Sets (page 2–568)

(like named

select ion sets), new

Auto Expand (page 2–502)

options, and new

Hierarch y right-click menu

(page 2–495)

commands.

•The

Motion Mixer toolset (page 2–580)

from

character studio has been fully integrated into

3ds Max, letting you create nonlinear animation

w ith al l objects.

• You can save and load XML-based animation

data for any number of object s sep arately

from the actual scene, w ith versatile mapping

options. See

Saving and Loading Animation

(page 3–477)

.

• Youcannowsetananimationtrackwitha

parametriccontroller,suchasNoise,to

apply

only to the current animation range (page

2–527)

or to

ignore it (page 2–526)

,thus

repeating infinitely.

•Set

Default In/Out Tangents for new keys (page

3–764)

in the main program interface.

• Import and export motion-analysis files in

the HTR format and import TRC-format

motion-analysis files.

Mapping

• The Unwrap UVW modifier has been

substantia lly modified to provide new features

and enhanced workflow, including the

powerful new Pelt mapping feature. For a list of

significant changes, see

What’s New in Unwrap

UVW (page 1–868)

.

Rendering

•The

Batch Render tool (page 3–200)

provides

an efficient, visual approach to setting up t asks

when you want to render without having to be

in front of the computer.

•

mental ray 3.4 (page 3–77)

delivers numerous

optimizations, including faster final gathering

performance, double precision computation

for ray tracing and fast rasterization for

first-generation rays. mental ray 3.4 also

adds Satellite Rendering, which lets you

deplo y up to eight slave CPU s to render an

image with distributed bucket rendering; see

xvi Introduction

Distributed Bucket Rendering Rollout (mental

ray Renderer) (page 3–121)

.

• Network rendering of 3ds Max scenes (MAX

files) with mental ray via Backburner and the

command line is no longer bound to a single

license. Theref ore an unlimited number of

CPUs can be used, effectively behaving exactly

as with the 3ds Max default scanline renderer.

Standalone licenses are st i ll required when

rendering MI files (using

ray.exe

).

•Supportfor

OpenEXR (page 3–671)

,aversatile

file format for high-dynamic-range images.

• Tighter integration with Combustion by

providing material ID and render ID elements

allows for quick masking inside Combustion

based on the material or node ID f rom 3ds Max.

Also, enhanced support for

lookup-table (LUT)

data (page 3–873)

from Combustion and other

Autodesk Media and Entertainment software.

•Supportfor

IMSQ files (page 3–669)

.IMSQis

anXML-basedimage-sequenceformatthatcan

potentiallybeusedbythird-partyapplications.

You generate IMSQ files from the Render Scene

Dialog’s

Common Parameters rollout (page

3–27)

.

• Supportforpre-renderandpost-renderscripts.

In addition to a pre-render script, you can

now run a post-render script as wel l. Pre- and

post-render scripts are specified on the new

Scripts rollout (page 3–33)

,aswellasfromthe

command-line rendering interface.

• New Illuminance and Luminance

render

elements (p age 3–126)

support creation

of images for advanced lighting analysis,

part icularly in architectural applications.

•Anew

Velocity render element (page 3–137)

lets you use your compositing application

(such as C ombustion) to generate motion blur.

Other new render elements for Combustion

integration are Material ID and Object ID.

• New Illuminance HDR Data and Luminance

HDR Data

render elements (page 3–126)

let

you p er form advanced analysis of your scene’s

lighting.

• New rendering options for spline objects and

NURBS curves include settings for radial and

rectangular cross-sections. See

Editable Spline

(page 1–284)

for details; the same controls are

available for NURBS curves.

Modeling

•The

Hair and Fur modifier (page 1–506)

and

Cloth system (page 1–551)

,previouslyavailable

only by subscription, are now standard features.

For new features in Cloth since the subscription

release, see

What’s New in Cloth (page 1–552)

.

•EnhancementsinEditablePolyandEditPoly

modifier include:

• Grow, shrink, and move edge sub-object

selections along rings and loops. A faster

waytomodifyselectionsandmovethem

along a surface. See

Editable Poly Surface

(page 1–1012)

.

• Create rows of new faces between edges w ith

the new

Bridge

feature. This is useful for

creat ing edge loops.

•When

removing edges

,thenewClean

Remove option lets you delete associated

vertices, simplifying the resulting geometry.

•When

chamfering sub-objects (page

1–1071)

,thenewOpenoptionletsyou

create holes instead of new faces.

• Change spacing and positioning of new

edges with the Pinch and Slide settings. See

Connect Edges Dialog (page 1–1072)

.

•The

Show Cage

function now uses two

colors to show both selected and unselected

sub-objects.

• You can conv ert a selection to only

sub-objects that border the selection by

What’s New in 3ds max 8 xvii

pressing SHIFT as you change t he sub-object

level.

Scene and Project Management

• Project-management functionality is

implemented via the new

asset tracking system

(page 3–492)

. Asset tr ack ing works with a

variety of source-control tools, but optimal

support is provided for Au todesk Vault,

included free with 3ds Max.

• A number of improvements have been made to

external references. The

XRef Objects dialog

(page 3–408)

and rollouts have been redesigned

to ma ke them easier to use. You can now XRef

materialsaswellasobjects,eitherwhenyou

XRef objects in general, or by using the new

XRef material (p age 2–1425)

.

For XRef Scenes, the new

Overlay feature (page

3–417)

letsyoucreatemorecomplexXRefing

while avoiding circular XRefs.

XRefs to cameras are now correctly saved with

the scene, so you can use them with network

rendering.

The performance of XRefs has also been

improved.

•TheMaterialEditor>Utilitiesmenuincludes

several new functions for managing materials.

For example, you can remove all materials not

used in the scene from the editor, and condense

the remaining materials. See

Material Editor

Menu Bar (page 2–1272)

.

•

Repathing and retargeting (page 3–495)

of

assetsandtheirlocationsallowsforcontrol

over many dependencies that rely on the path

of an asset.

•Youcancollect

Path configuration files (page

3–852)

in a project-specific manner for all

assets. This file c an be loaded, saved, etc. and

transferred with the scene file. This eases

management of projects by providing a text

(ASCII) fi le that lets users define paths for asset

locations.

Design V isualization Functionality

• New adaptive subdivision options enable

higher-quality, more accurate, and more

efficient radiosity processing. See

Radiosity

MeshingParametersRollout(page3–66)

.

•Supportfor

real-world measurements (page

2–1429)

lets you apply physically scaled

materials to objects in the scene more easily

and a ccurately.

•Thenew

Sweep modifier (page 1–839)

lets you

“loft” a shape or profile along lines or polylines

imported from AutoCAD or linework created

in3dsMax,evenapplyingpresetshapesto

simple linework. This modifier is useful for

creat ing str uc tura l steel details, m olding details,

or in any situation where you need to extrude a

section along a spline.

• Capture object, layer, material, camera, and

light information as a

scene state (page 3–519)

thatcanbesavedandrestoredatwill.

• Autodesk Revit® 7 interoperabilit y: Autodesk

Revit users can now create hig h-quality images

of their models with 3ds Max by importing or

linking a Revit model via the DWG format, and

having the scene objects correspond directly

to individual Revit objects. See

Working w ith

Draw ing Files (page 3–425)

.

•

A utodesk Inventor® interoperability (page

3–553)

: Access the Inventor file option directly

within the Import function.

•

DWF export (page 3–556)

: Convey ideas and

share designs by exporting 3D models from

3ds Max for viewing with Autodesk DWF

Viewer and Autodesk DWF Composer.

xviii Introduction

Scripting

• Analyze and correct problem scripts with the

new

MAXScript debugger (page 3–826)

,which

follows the industry-standard method for

debugging scripts. Set breakpoints and isolate

issues in any script.

• Rewritten expression and sc ripted controllers

now have full M AXScript support. Name

dependencies have been removed so that

scripted controllers c an be merged, XRefed,

and copied in the same way as other controller

types.

• MAXScript SQL Connect and Queries lets

programmersandTDsbuildscriptstoquery

a database, permitting increased automa tion

within a complex pipeline.

3ds Max Documentation S et

The documentation set for 3ds Max

®

combines

online and printed material.

• 3ds Max 8 I nst a ll at ion Guide: Contains

complete installation and configuration

instructions,aswellasReadThisFirst

information to help you get started.

The

Installation Guide

includes information

about system requirements and

troubleshooting. It also tells you how to

uninstall 3ds Max.

For 3ds Max, the

Installation Guide

is available

printed, as well as in PDF format on the product

disc, in the

\manuals

folder .

• 3ds Max 8 New Features Guide: This printed

document presents the new features of 3ds Max

8. While intended primarily for upgraders

already familiar with 3ds Max, we also hope

that users new to the progr am wi ll be able to

profit from the visual approach and tips for

usage of these new features.

APDFversionofthisguideisalsoavailable

electronically; choose Help menu > New

Features Guide to view it online.

• 3ds Max 8 User Referen ce: The online

reference covers fundamental concepts and

strategies for using the product, as well as

details about the features of 3ds Max. In this

version of the product, the

User Reference

is

availableonlineonly.

A ccess the reference online by choosing Help

> User Reference.

• 3ds Ma x 8 Tutor ia ls: Contains tutorial

information and detailed procedures to walk

you through increasingly complex operations.

This is the best source for learning 3ds Max.

Access the online version of the tutorials by

choosingHelp>Tutorials.

Note: Allthesamplefilesrequiredtodothe

tutorials are found on the program disc. None

ofthesefilesareinstalledautomatically.

The printed

3ds Max Tutorials

book duplicates

a subset of the online tutorials.

Note: Due to print time requirements, s ome

topics in the printed tutorials could differ

slightly from the online version. Where there is

a difference, the online version is more current.

• Backburner Reference: Describes procedures

for rendering with networked computers.

Avai lable from the 3ds Max Reference online

Contents tab.

• reactor Reference: Describes the reactor

system for physical simulation. Available f rom

the 3ds Max Reference online C ontents tab.

• MAX Script Refer ence: Describes the

MAXScript scripting language (page 1–xx)

.

This reference is available online only. Check

out the “Learning MAXScript” chapter there if

you’re new to MAXScript.

3ds Max Documentation Set xix

Access the

MAXScript Reference

by choosing

Help > MAXScript Reference.

• Readme.rtf: Contains the latest information

about 3ds Max 8. Find this file in electronic

format in the program instal l director y.

Additional Help Files

In addition to the main documentation

components described above, these addit ional

online documents describe var ious features

available in 3ds Max 8.

• The 3ds Max 8 SDK Help system do cuments

the software development kit (SDK) for:

•3dsMax

•GameExportInterface

•ParticleFlow

•mentalray

•CharacterStudio

•MAXScript

Using the SDK, you can create new 3ds Max

feat ures and tools by writing your own plug-ins.

Note: To i ns t a l l th e SD K an d th e SD K

documentation, choose 3ds Max 8 SDK under

the Install Supplemental Tools section of the 3ds

max 8 Installer. You can do this the first time

you install 3ds Max, or run the setup program

to add them at a later time. See the Installation

Guide for more information. You can also

findSDKdownloads,samplesolutions,and

documentation updates on the s

parks Web site.

• Additional mental r ay® Help Files:

Documentation f rom mental images® is

available from Help menu > Additional

Help. There, you’ll find the

mental ray 3.4

Documentation

,comprisingthe

mental ray

Manual

,

mental ray Shader Refer ence

,and

LumeTools Collection

.

Note: Third-p arty shaders are documented

in the

mental ray Shader Reference

,and

LumeTools Collection

documents, but the

3ds Max User Reference

documents all other

mental ray components available in the 3ds Max

user interface. This includes documentation

for lig hts for mental ray and specific shadow

types, controls for adding mental ray shaders

to lig hts and cameras, mental ray materials,

custom shaders for 3ds Max, and the mental

ray renderer controls.

• Aut odes k Licens e Bor r ow in g Ut i l ity Help:

Available as the file

adsk_brw.chm

,installed

in the

\program files\common files\autodesk

shared\enu

folder on your local drive.

• Portable License Utility Help: Available as the

file

adsk_plu.chm

, installed in the

\program

files\common files\autodesk shared\enu

folder

on your local drive.

• Networ k Licensing Guide: Available as the

file

adsk_nlg.pdf

, on the product disc, in the

\Manuals

folder.

• Network Administ rator’s Guide: Available as

the file

adsk_nag.pdf

,ontheproductdisc,in

the

\Manuals

folder .

• Network Installation Guide: Available as the

file

NetInstallGuide.pdf

,ontheproductdisc,

in the

\Manuals

folder .

• SAMr eport-Lite Us er’s Gui de: Available as the

file

SAMlite_UG.pdf

, on the product disc, in

the

\Manuals

folder .

• 3ds Max Sof tware D evelopment Kit

Help Files: Available as the files

sdk.chm

,

sparks_archive.chm

,and

igamehelp.chm

,

installed in the

3dsmax8\maxsdk\help

folder on your local drive. The

file

index.chm

is installed in the

3dsmax8\max s d k \samples\howto\xrefutil

folder .

Yo u c a n f i n d u p d a t e d S D K d o c u m e n t a t i o n o n

the s

parks Web site.

xx Introduction

Note:

By default, the SDK and its document

files a re not installed. You can choose to add

them when you first install 3ds Max, or you

can run the setup program to add them to your

installation at a later time. See the

Installation

Guide

for more information.

•The

3dsMaxSDKHelp.chm

file is installed in

the

3dsmax8\maxsdk\help

folder on your local

drive. The Help system doc uments the SDKs

for 3ds Max, Game Export Interface, Particle

Flow, mental ray, and Character Studio. (Note

that mental ray still has a separate Help for

reference information.)

Yo u c a n f i n d u p d a t e d S D K d o c u m e n t a t i o n o n

the s

parks Web site.

Note: By default, the SDK and its do cument

files a re not installed. You can choose to add

them when you first install 3ds Max, or you

can run the setup program to add them to your

installation at a later time. See the

Installation

Guide

for more information.

How to Pr i nt f r om th e Onli ne

Documentation Files

If your computer is connected to a printer, you can

print single help topics or entire chapters.

To print a topic or chapter, high lig ht the topic or

chapter title and click the Print button at the top of

the help display. A dialog appears.

Choose to print only the selected topic, or to print

all topics in that chapter. After you ma ke your

selection, another dialog appears where you can

chooseyourprinterandotheroptions.

Thetabsavailableatthetopofthedialogdepend

on the selected printer. Choose options for the

print job, and click OK to begin printing.

How to Contact Us

We are also interested in hearing your v iews about

3dsMax.We’dliketohearwaysyouthinkwecan

improve our program, features you’re interested

in, as well as your views on the documentation set.

Please send us email about the documentation set

at: m

e.documenta[email protected]

About MAXScript

MAXScript is the built-in scripting language for

3dsMax.Itprovidesuserswiththeabilityto:

•Scriptallaspectsof3dsMaxuse,suchas

modeling,animation,materials,rendering,and

so on.

• Control 3ds Max interactively through a

command-line shell window.

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Autodesk 3ds Max 8 User guide

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